The five free zones of Spain agree to create a common work space with the signing of a collaboration agreement

The free zones of Cádiz, Barcelona, ​​Vigo, Tenerife and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have signed this morning a collaboration agreement that marks a before and after in the coordination of their efforts and that aims to enhance cooperation and the exchange of initiatives and programs between institutions that, geographically separated, have the same common goal: The economic and business revitalization of their different areas of influence, also offering within their management policy a diverse range of services to companies located in its facilities.
The five Space delegates of the State of each of the free zones, Jorge Ramos, in Cádiz; Jordi Cornet, in Barcelona; Teresa Pedrosa, from Vigo; Gustavo González, from Tenerife; and Antonio Vera, head of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, signed the document at the closing ceremony of the First Annual Meeting of Free Trade Zones of Spain, which brought together the highest representatives of the Spanish free zones in the capital of Cadiz, in a forum for meeting and debate on the importance and role that free zones play in the socioeconomic growth around them and the mechanisms through which they provide service to the business and industrial fabric, enhancing and favoring economic growth.
After each of them presented the strengths of their environment and their free zone, the five delegates agreed to join forces and work in a common space.
Jorge Ramos, delegate of the Cádiz Free Zone, closed the round of interventions by the attendees and pointed out that the five Spanish free zones are complementary and highlighted the importance of complementing each other.
The signing of the collaboration agreement will mean the immediate creation of a work and debate platform, integrated with a representative from each Institution in which they will share mechanisms and programs aimed at promoting the aforementioned social objective of the free zones. The Platform may deal with different issues, around four large thematic areas: Organization and operation; investment actions, investment selection systems (marketing programs); measures to support the establishment of businesses; and services offered to companies. However, it may be extended to other specific actions that may arise in work meetings and that may give rise to specific executive agreements depending on the matter in question.
Likewise, the agreement establishes that a joint meeting will be promoted that will coincide with a meeting of the work platform and a day will be called to disseminate the free zones at the national level.
    I Annual Meeting of Free Zones
The signing of the agreement was the culmination of a day that has been promoted by the Cádiz Consortium, in line with the actions it has been carrying out in recent years to recover the essence and role of the Free Trade Zone as an ideal enclave to attract investments. for its customs and tax advantages, as well as promoting its aspect focused on foreign trade and logistics.
The meeting has materialized the union point and the sharing of the different visions and experiences of the entities that manage the tax precincts, as well as the organizations and companies that work together with the free zones, offering experiences and realities that have shaped a global vision of the infrastructure offer and fiscal and logistical advantages of all the free zones in Spain.
Likewise, one of the fundamental aspects discussed has been the present role but above all the future of the free zones, being relevant the presentation on the expansion plan of the Cádiz Free Zone, which in the next 3-4 years will quadruple its land , going from the current 330,000 m2 of its tax area today, to 1,300,000 m2 distributed in municipalities of the Bay of Cádiz, Jerez-Campiña and Campo de Gibraltar.
The day began at 9:00 a.m. at the Congress Palace and was inaugurated together with the Free Trade Zone delegate, by the mayor of Cádiz, Teófila Martínez, and the president of the Provincial Council, José Loaiza.
Next, the panel “Business parks, logistics and Free Zones” took place at 10:15 a.m., led by Santiago López Guerra, general secretary of the Vigo Free Zone Consortium; Jose Luis Rodríguez, director of the Customs Free Zone and Expansion of the Barcelona Free Zone Consortium; Pedro Ferrer Delgado, commercial director of the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria Free Trade Zone Consortium; and Jose Manuel Fedriani Castro, general director of the Cádiz Free Trade Zone Consortium. The Panel was moderated by Ángel Juan Pascual, president of the Cádiz Chamber of Commerce and member of the Executive Committee of the Cadiz Consortium, and Carlos Fenoy, president of the Campo de Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce.
After a break, the panel “Free Zones and support for the economic development of their area of ​​influence” began at 12:00, in which the five delegates from the Spanish free zones and signatories of the collaboration agreement between them participated. , which were moderated by Javier Sánchez Rojas, president of the Confederation of Businessmen of Cádiz and member of the State in the Plenary Session of the Cádiz Consortium.